Rising senior now owns 7 Division I scholarship offers

INDIANAPOLIS — The sequence is likely one of the primary reasons CJ Coleman holds seven Division I scholarship offers.

The slender, six-foot-3 senior-to-be from Mt. Vernon corralled a long rebound and immediately looked upcourt. He pushed his dribble, but didn’t force the action. As the defense in front of him began to settle in, Coleman crossed over to his left and rose into the air beyond the 3-point arc.

The ball last touched the middle finger on his right hand, which left the orange sphere rotating like Earth on its axis.

Bottom of the net.

On the next possession, Coleman cut sharply off a pick and caught the ball as if he was Reggie Wayne cutting upfield off a bubble screen.

Rise. Fire. Swish.

Coleman, who holds offers from Ball State, Gardner-Webb, Indiana State, IUPUI, Missouri-Kansas City, North Carolina-Greensboro and Northern Kentucky, has spent the better part of his summer crisscrossing Indiana and occasionally venturing outside the boundaries of the Hoosier State, all in the name of playing the game he loves and coming closer to reaching a decision on his college destination.

He spent April and May suiting up with Spiece Indy Ice, his AAU team. June was devoted to catching up with his MV teammates and new head coach Travis Daugherty.

“We had more practices than open gyms trying to get everything in,” Coleman said of the MV workouts.

July brought a return to AAU ball and a recent appearance on national television, as Spiece routed Team Work (Va.) 91-46 in the ESPNU-broadcasted finals of the Adidas Invitational 17U platinum bracket at North Central.

After spending the weekend in Fishers competing in a tournament, this week Coleman is in Las Vegas as Spiece competes in the 17 division of the Adidas Super 64.

This story appears in the print edition of Daily Reporter. Subscribers can read the entire story online by signing in here or in our e-Edition by clicking here.